Read the Bible in a Year (14OCT19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, October 14’s Bible reading is Matthew 27-28.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, October 15’s Bible reading is Mark 1-3. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

MATTHEW MOMENT – (14OCT19) “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ And they said, ‘What is that to us? You see to it!’ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:3-5). Judas had made arrangements with the religious leaders to betray Jesus. They paid him 30 pieces of silver which was the fulfillment of the prophecy that Jeremiah the prophet had given. Judas later felt guilty and tried to return the money that he had received. The religious leaders, in their hypocrisy, did not want the blood money back, but once he threw it down, they used it to buy a field to bury foreigners in so they would not break the Mosaic law. Judas went and hung himself for what he had done.

Could Judas had been forgiven if he had repented? Of course, he could have. Jesus would have forgiven him just as He did with Peter after he denied Him not once, not twice, but three times. Jesus said: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:31-32). Judas could have been a great apostle with an awesome testimony if only he had repented and allowed Jesus to forgive him. Unfortunately, Judas’ story had a tragic end and the ones he conspired with had no interest in his feelings of guilt and remorse. This is how the devil will leave you if you allow him to have his way. He will make you feel as if you have fallen so far from God that you can contemplate taking your own life. The devil does not care how he gets you – just as long as he does. From pastors all the way down to innocent children are taking their lives daily for various reasons. The Bible says: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Who is this thief? None other than Satan. He wants to steal souls from the Lord, but Jesus came to give us life. If you know of anyone who suffers from depression, take some time to talk with them about the love of Christ. You never know…you may be saving that person’s life. The enemy throws up a person’s past, failures, mistakes, and tries to have them in a state of hopelessness. Nevertheless, Jesus came so that we may be victorious over all situations that come our way even when we make mistakes. If we repent, Jesus will forgive. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (14OCT19) “The governor answered and said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ They said, ‘Barabbas!’” (Matthew 27:21). It was customary for the Romans to give a reprieve to a prisoner of the Jews’ choice during the Passover celebration. So, when Pilate offered the crowd a choice between Barabbas, whose name also means Jesus, and Jesus the Messiah, the religious leaders were already set to convince the crowd to release Barabbas using deception. Therefore, the crowd got what they wanted and Barabbas, a convicted thief and murderer, was released. Jesus was then taken to be flogged and crucified.

What or who is your Barabbas? Jesus had not done anything wrong, but Barabbas, someone who was actually guilty of a crime, was chosen to be freed over the Messiah. Many of us have various types of Barabbas in our lives. Anything or anyone that we place over Jesus is our type of Barabbas. Some choose their money as their Barabbas. Others choose their friends as their Barabbas. We have all been guilty of choosing Barabbas and nailing Jesus to the cross. Nevertheless, Jesus died for even Barabbas so that he could be free from the penalty of sin.

Countless lost souls have the antichrist (Barabbas) spirit, and many more are going to choose the antichrist and his mark, rather than the true Christ, Son of the Living God near the end.  The Bible says: “And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already”  (1 John 4:3). The antichrist spirit is already in operation, but so is the Spirit of God if we invite Him in. Remember, Barabbas also means Jesus, but he is the false Christ who only leads to death and destruction. Jesus, the Son of God, who is our Messiah, Savior, and Redeemer is the only one who can save. Something to ponder….

MATTHEW MOMENT – (14OCT19) “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split….” (Matthew 27:50-51). God had implemented the laws of sacrificing animals during the days of Moses leading up to the coming Messiah and His death on the cross. These animals could not permanently wash away man’s sins, but they were temporary until the Ultimate Sacrifice was made. Now, as Jesus hung on the cross, He was feeling abandoned by his Father, but this temporary separation was necessary until He yielded up His spirit. At that moment, the curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was ripped into two. No longer was there any need for earthly priests to make sacrifices on the altar. Jesus’ work was done when He breathe His last breath. Three days later, He rose again, and all power was given to Him by the Father.

Jesus’ victory became ours as well and one day, we will celebrate in glory with Him. When we hear of Israel’s Sanhedrin trying to rebuild the third temple, this is not glorifying God, but once again rejecting His Son. Jesus already came, died, and rose but will be returning to gather His children to take them to glory. This is why the message of the Gospel is to be preached to all the world so that they will know that Jesus saves. We must witness to the Jew, atheist, Muslim, and all who do not know Him. In doing so, we are fulfilling the Great Commission and helping to add souls to the Kingdom of God.  “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20). Something to ponder….